Applications of Nanocatalysis in Petroleum Industry

Abstract

This review paper briefly discusses about the important applications of nanocatalysts in petroleum industries. The design of materials in nanometer form is one of the most researched topics in the contemporary world. Catalysts have been widely used in chemical reactions to accelerate the reaction rate and to allow facile removal of product molecules. With the advent and growth of nanotechnology, catalysts were synthesized in nanometer scale. Nanocatalysts exhibited unique properties and displayed higher selectivity and activity as compared to conventional catalysts. This paper summarizes literature data on the petroleum processing and refining techniques involving nanocatalysts.Hydrotreating, hydrocracking, catalytic reforming, hydrodecyclization of petroleum feedstocks are few of the processes discussed in the paper. In addition, the use of nanocatalysts as fuel additives has been briefly summarized. 

Keywords: Nanocatalysis, hydrocracking, hydrotreating, catalytic reforming, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodecyclization